


I Now Pronounce You...

by wasianhermione



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, and sad gertchase, and some bromance between chase and nico, but basically just cute gertchase, gertchase wedding!!!, good luck bitches, i really didn't want to write janet's death because that #sucked, lots of fluff though too guys, there's some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:00:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24836542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wasianhermione/pseuds/wasianhermione
Summary: Chase Stein is standing in front of the love of his life, and all his friends, to declare once and for all, that he believes in the best-case scenario.The only problem is that none of it is real.
Relationships: Chase Stein/Gertrude Yorkes
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	I Now Pronounce You...

**Author's Note:**

> when they get out of the algorithm, karolina is surprised that chase’s fantasy wasn’t his wedding to gert. so, i started thinking about what a gertchase wedding would look like, if things were a little different. basically, gert’s not missing, chase is still an idiot, and the rest is pretty much history.
> 
> also, i super did not want to write janet's d***h scene, so i just didn't.

Chase wakes up in a hallway.

He’s wearing a tux, which isn’t the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to him – but it’s definitely not normal. The hallway around him is pretty nondescript: beige walls, boring patterned carpet, doorways scattered about leading to rooms that he knows nothing about. It’s what’s on the walls that really captures his attention. In frames of different colors and sizes are pictures of him and Gert – pictures from when they were little, pictures from the days right before their friend group broke up in high school, and pictures he’s never seen before. They look older in these pictures, but happier too, like they’ve discovered some wonderful secret to life that he doesn’t have yet. But the one he stops at the longest is the one of them in a planetarium – Gert has on the prettiest dress and her hair is long and brown again and there’s a look in her eyes like life will never get better than that moment. And it’s because in front of her is Chase, on one knee, with a ring in his hand, asking for her to be his forever.

Chase, real Chase, knows that this isn’t his memory; realistically, he knows that this is some future moment that hasn’t happened yet and might not ever happen, especially now that he abandoned Gert and his friends and the hostel for a father who never really cared about him in the first place. But there’s a feeling in his fingers and his toes that makes him realize how much he wants it to be real. He may only be 17, but he’s been in love with her since he was a kid, and he would do anything to make her happy – to make up for ever hurting her.

Reluctantly, he pulls himself away from the photo, if only to move on and explore what’s beyond this one hallway. He moves slowly, carefully, in case the Jonah reincarnation of his father is lurking behind any of the upcoming corners. It almost makes him feel like James Bond, sneaking around in a tux like this. At least, it does until he realizes that he doesn’t have his Fistigons, or even a knife to protect himself with. Some Bond he is.

Chase doesn’t really have any concept of time, but he thinks he’s been walking around for about fifteen minutes when he finds a set of doors that lead to the garden outside. Hoping for some fresh air, he puts one hand on the door handle and pushes delicately. There’s a lot of things Chase was expecting when he opens the door: an army of alien-possessed people ready to attack him, his “father” on his own ready to attack him, AWOL and his minions ready to attack him – man, he really should not have opened the door if that’s what he was expecting. But what he definitely was not expecting was a beautiful garden full of blooming flowers. Still not entirely confident that he’s not going to be attacked, he takes one hesitant step towards the garden, and then another, and then another.

As he gets closer he realizes that the garden is organized into an altar, with an archway and an aisle and everything. It dawns on Chase that the garden is set up for a wedding. He takes notes for his wedding to Gert, because if he’s going to be wherever he is for a long time, he might as well make good on the promise that that planetarium picture made. He’s in the middle of figuring out what kind of flowers are in the bundles attached to each chair in the audience – peonies, baby’s breath, and something that looks like a big yellow cotton ball – when Nico appears beside him.

“Hey there, pretty boy. How are you feeling? Nervous, excited, on the brink of hyperventilating?”

“I’m feeling pretty okay, all things considered. Why do you ask?”

“Because when I was in your spot, only seconds away from getting married, I was pretty sure I was going to die of a panic attack.”

It’s only now that Chase takes in what Nico is wearing: a pretty lilac dress with a flowy skirt and thin, criss-crossy straps. She looks older too, but happy, like some future version of Nico where things aren’t so fucked up.

“Wait, did you say married? As in, I’m about to get married?”

“Uh, yeah, lacrosse boy. This is your wedding. Wait, are you drunk? You pregamed your own wedding and didn’t even invite me?” Nico looked both amused and offended, as though this was the biggest atrocity Chase could’ve committed, as though he hadn’t abandoned her and the rest of the Runaways at the hostel only a few days ago.

“No, of course I’m not drunk, I would never do that.” Suddenly, the tux and the hallway photos and the altar, they all made sense. He was at a wedding. His wedding. To Gert. Oh shit.

“Good, ‘cause if you were this would pretty much be the most stressful sobriety test of your whole life. Now you better go, it’s your turn to walk in a straight line. And don’t trip, that would be… really humiliating.”

Chase looked at her incredulously, but soon realized that she was being serious when some invisible orchestra began playing a soft, slow version of Death of a Bachelor by Panic! At the Disco. The song choice was no doubt thanks to Gert, but he couldn’t help smiling at her ability to make fun of something and somehow make it a million times better. He took a deep breath and put one foot in front of the other, making his way down the flower-spotted aisle to the beat of the song in the background. He may not remember proposing to Gert, or putting this wedding together, or even putting on a tux this morning, but he knows that if Gert is the girl that’s gonna meet him at the end of this walkway, then everything is going to be just fine.

Chase makes it to the altar just in time for the end of the first chorus, and as he turns to face the audience, he realizes just how many people will be watching him marry the love of his life: his mom and dad, Dale and Stacey, all of Pride, even all of his old teammates and Eiffel are sitting in fold out chairs on the grass. He doesn’t quite understand why they’re here, considering he ditched them all to reconnect with his real friends, but he’s okay with it; Chase would invite every single person on the planet to his wedding if it meant he could brag to them about how he got to marry Gertrude Yorkes.

The orchestra changes songs, and suddenly they’re playing Come On, Eileen. Chase is a little perplexed until he watches Alex and Molly dance down the aisle to the tune, trying – and failing – to keep the beat; all of a sudden, his confusion is gone and he’s filled with pure joy and amusement. Once they’ve made it down the aisle, the audience turns to watch the next couple, Nico and Karolina. It’s obvious which one of them is the sunshine of that relationship, since Karolina basically has to drag Nico down the aisle while shaking her arms in a fashion that is probably supposed to look like dancing, but instead looks more like a frightened puppet. But Chase forgets the spectacle almost immediately after it’s over, because he looks up from the floor and makes eye contact with the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen.

Gert is wearing a simple gown with flowers stitched to the skirt, and she’s got a tiara in her hair, and she’s looking at him like he’s the only person she’s ever seen and the only one she ever wants to see. Then she winks at him, and it’s like she’s shared some sort of inside joke, because she immediately breaks out into laughter and so does he. They keep laughing the entire time she’s moving down the aisle, pulling out all of her worst dance moves and making goofy faces at him. It’s not until Gert reaches the altar and is standing right in front of him that he realizes exactly what is happening. He takes a look at her, with her big brown eyes and her dress that seems to be less white and more light purple – because of course, if anyone was going to ditch the tradition of wearing white to symbolize purity and innocence, it would be Gert – and he makes a resolution to never stop looking at her for as long as he lives.

“You look beautiful.” He whispers this, like it’s some sort of secret pact that’s just for the two of them and nobody else.

“Thank you. You look beautiful, too.”

Chase blushes at this. Somehow, she always knows just what to say to make him blush.

“Are we ready to begin?” Sometime between when Chase stepped onto the altar and now, Dale Yorkes has joined him, eager to officiate the wedding. Chase looks behind him, at Alex and Nico, and to Gert, and he has never felt more sure of anything in his life.

“Definitely.”

“Alrighty then,” Dale chuckles and adjusts his tie.

“Ladies, gentlemen, and gender nonspecific folk, we are gathered here to day to unite this wonderful young woman and this charming young man in matrimony. I have watched Gertrude grow up, and I am so proud of the strong, capable person that she is today. And I can’t think of a better match for her than Chase, who is smart and driven and not easily offended,” Gert and Chase smile at each other, laughing under their breaths. “I understand that you two have chosen to write your own vows today?” Suddenly, Chase pauses. He was really confident that this thing would go off without a hitch, but that was only because all he had to do was repeat after Dale and try not to drop the ring in the grass. Chase is not one for words, that is one hundred percent Gert’s territory. But he thinks for a second, and decides that as long as he speaks honestly and doesn’t ramble, it might not be a disaster. So he nods, and Gert nods, and then Dale steps back to let them each speak.

Gert is obviously very ready to go first. She pulls out a folded piece of paper from the pocket of her dress (of course her dress has pockets), and clears her throat.

“Chase, I heard once that you like because and you love despite. I like you because you give really good hugs in the middle of the night, and because you never complain about my breath in the morning. I like you because you’re nice to my sister, and because you kiss my forehead whenever I’m anxious, and because you give me your hoodies on movie nights. I like you because you have always been my safe haven, and because your face was obviously crafted by God Herself. I like you because; but I love you despite. I love you despite the fact that you were a jock in high school,” she makes a face at this, and Chase can’t help but laugh when he thinks about who he used to be. “I love you despite your lack of aversion to the taste of protein powder. I love you despite your terrible taste in road trip music. I love you despite. But I have one amendment to this rule, and it is this: I love you because you are the only person who knows all of my secrets and hasn’t judged a single one. You are the only person who knows that I secretly love all your road trip playlists. You are the only person who I want to wake up to and the only person I want to kiss goodnight. I love you because you are one in seven billion, Chase Stein, and you are definitely the one for me.”

Chase knows that his eyes are welling up, but he can’t exactly stop it when that was the kindest, most beautiful thing he has ever heard. He takes a second to collect himself, does his best to blink back the tears, and then takes a deep breath to begin his vows.

“Gert, not a day goes by that I don’t think about your smile, or your eyes, or the way you say my name. I have spent my entire life knowing you, and I am a better man for it. I may not always understand what you’re saying, but I understand this: I have never felt more myself than when I am with you. And I want to spend the rest of my life being myself. I want to wake up in the morning and hear about your dream; I want to go to bed at night and hear about your day; I want to pass you salt at dinner and butter toast with you at breakfast. I used to be scared about starting a family, I didn’t know if I had what it took. But looking at you now, I know that you are my family. You are everything I’ll ever need in this world, and as long as you are with me, everything will be okay.”

The rest of the ceremony is a bit of a blur: there were rings and more words and more tears and more laughs. But all Chase could think about was how badly he wanted to kiss Gert, to make her his wife officially and to start the life he’s always wanted but never thought he deserved.

Finally, the moment comes when Dale looks at him, and looks at Gert, and opens his mouth to say those magic words, when someone shouts from behind the flowery bushes.

“Chase! Chase, where are you?” Chase whips his head around, still holding onto Gert’s hands as tight as he can. Everyone else at the wedding, however, seems completely unbothered. In fact, it looks as if they’ve all stopped entirely.

Out of nowhere, a vision in messy purple hair comes bursting out from behind the shrubs and running down the aisle, followed by her little sister, who looks a little bit pissed to be here.

“Chase!” Gert almost looks relieved to see him, and considering he ditched her on her little sister’s birthday, there’s a 50/50 chance this is still a part of whatever dream he’s been in.

“What the hell is this place?”

“It’s kind of… our…” Chase scratches the back of his neck, trying to find a way to explain his current situation without sounding like a creepy stalker or a heteronormative jerk.

“Wedding?” Molly finishes his sentence before he even has a chance.

“Yeah, that. Wait, how are you guys here? Where did you even come from?”

Gert sighs, like the answer should be obvious. “We’re from the real world, Chase. You’re stuck in the algorithm, in some weird glass tube in your father’s lab. Alex is trying to use the Abstract to figure out how to get you out, but it’s pretty hard since your dad is apparently still a murderous psychopath.”

“Look, I just wanted to say–”

“Save it. You made your choice, that’s on you. We’re just here to save you because it would be a huge bummer if a part of the team died on our watch. Things are still the same.” So Gert is obviously still pissed.

“I know. And I know I hurt you. But I want to do better, I want to be better.” He tries to reach out to her, but his intentions don’t seem to be a good enough apology for either Gert or Molly.

“Look, we’re trying our best we can to get you out of here, but we don’t know exactly how long that’s going to take. So can you just…” Gert huffs exasperatedly, “not do anything you’d normally do. Just try your best not to be an idiot, or get killed or anything, and we’ll be back as soon as we can.” She started to stomp off in the direction she came, but Chase couldn’t let her go that easily.

“Gert wait!”

“What?” She spun around, arms crossed. Chase could see even Molly flinch out of the corner of his eye.

“I just, I have to know… Have I ruined everything?” He could feel the pressure in his chest, he could feel his heart racing just below his ribcage.

“God, Chase, I can’t have this fucking conversation right now.” And with that, Gert was gone. Like she had never been there, standing in front of him – real and breathing and angry as all hell, but real.

Chase felt like his entire world was collapsing. He had screwed up before – big time – but it never felt like this. This felt big. This felt irreparable.

“Molly, I’m so sorry. I never meant—”

“Look, Chase, I really don’t want to hear it right now. We all want you back with us, especially Gert. But you walked out on us. And it’s going to take a very long time to make it up to us. Especially Gert.” And then Molly was gone, too. He was alone.

* * *

Eventually, Chase had gone back to his wedding. Even though it was officially official that it wasn’t real, there was a good chance it was the only time he’d be able to be with Gert like this for a long, long time. Maybe ever. He was going to cherish it.

He memorized the feeling of her hands in his as they promised to love each other, in front of their family and friends and the Universe. He memorized the taste of her lips as he kissed her, wanting more and more and for time to stop so he could spend the rest of his life kissing her. He memorized her grin, the giggle that slipped through her teeth as she held his cheeks and kissed his nose. It was such a Gert thing that he forgot for a moment that she wasn’t real. For that one moment, she was real and she was here and she was in his hands. Everything was perfect. And then it wasn’t.

Little by little, Chase saw through the differences. It was like he could feel them. Gert hadn’t corrected him once, or made a single sarcastic joke, or even mentioned the forced gender roles and stereotypes of a traditional wedding ceremony. It was like she wasn’t even Gert. Well, she wasn’t, really.

But still, his Gert – not that she was his, she was her own autonomous being and he didn’t own her in any capacity – was pretty much guaranteed to not want anything to do with him ever again. This Gert, however, smiled like his Gert, and tasted like his Gert, and laughed like his Gert; but she forgave easier than his Gert, and maybe that was okay, at least for now. At least for now, he could pretend that everything was okay and that his marriage to Gert was real and the world wasn’t falling apart at his feet.

* * *

Chase isn’t sure how long he’s been here, in the algorithm, but he suspects it’s been a while. The lines are starting to blur between what’s real and what his mind has fabricated as a way of comforting itself. The sun doesn’t rise or set in the algorithm, and he never gets tired, but it feels like he’s been there at least a few days, maybe a week, maybe even longer. He misses real Gert, and his real friends, and breathing air that doesn’t smell vaguely like air freshener. But he knows that there’s really nothing waiting for him back in reality. So he indulges himself. He eats wedding cake and he dances with the girl he loves and he tries his hardest not to think about the way everyone and everything does exactly what he would want.

In fact, he’s in the middle of a dance with the algorithm version of Gert – it just feels weird to him if he doesn’t acknowledge that she’s not the real Gert – when he notices a tear in the middle of nothing, almost as though the air is made of fabric that someone has ripped a hole into. And in the middle of the hole is his mother. She’s standing in the middle of their house, except it’s decorated less like the house his father stomped around his entire life, and more like something out of one of his mother’s daydreams.

“Chase? Chase, is that you, honey?”

“Mom! You can’t imagine how excited I am to see you. This place, it’s kind of a nightmare,” he rushes away from Pretend Gert to talk to his mother through what looks like a glitch in the universe.

“Where are you, Chase? Is this a wedding?” His mom seems partly shocked, partly amused at what the algorithm has conjured up for her son.

“Yeah, it’s, um… It’s my wedding to Gert.”

“Oh, honey, it’s beautiful. Is that what you’ve always wanted? To marry Gert?”

“I mean, it’s what the algorithm gave me, so I’d say yeah. Yeah, I think I’ve always wanted to end up with Gert.” Chase can’t help but smile at the thought, until that thought morphs into the realization that he’s screwed up far too bad for it to ever actually happen now. “But I screwed up bad, Mom. I left and I abandoned them – I abandoned her. I don’t know what to do.” Janet looks like she’s about to say something when Chase hears Gert’s voice from behind him.

“Chase, honey! Come dance with me,” Chase has never heard Gert use her whiny voice to get her way; he’s kind of grossed out with how much it reminds him of Eiffel.

“Give me one second!” He’s not exactly ready to sacrifice this moment with his mom, who is real and here and not treating him like the knight in shining armor that he knows he isn’t.

“Chase please! Come on!” For a moment, Gert’s voice doesn’t sound like Gert, and it’s this one little thing that absolutely breaks the dam.

“I can’t take it anymore. This isn’t real, and I want it all to go the hell away!” Chase has his hands dug into his hair so hard that he almost misses the Pretend Wedding disappear before his very eyes. Almost. But the second that Pretend Gert and all of his wedding guests disappear, he feels a weight lifted off of his chest.

“Mom, wait, did you see that? It all just… disappeared. Did you know that it could do that, that we could do that?” He was almost giddy to be rid of it all; he had come to the conclusion that he didn’t want any of it if it wasn’t with his real friends. It wasn’t worth anything if it wasn’t real.

“I had no idea.”

Chase could hear a commotion that sounded like his father’s voice from behind the image of his mother, but he didn’t know exactly what was going on. It wasn’t until he heard his mother yell and watched the image of his father vaporize that he realized that his mom was probably in her own personal dream.

“So what next? How do we get out of here?”

“I think I know what we need to do now.”


End file.
